Fishing, a recreational and leisure hobby, something that I have lost touch over many years, recently got back into me again. An overseas kelong fishing trip was planned with my colleagues, a short 2D1N kelong fishing trip to nearby Johor, Malaysia, to this kelong owned by Singaporeans, known as the Hot Boys Kelong.

Dug out my dad’s fishing equipment setup and accessories, 3 sets of fish rods & reels, packed my bags with my DSLR and clothings, with 3 cars driving up towards Tanjung Leman on an early Monday morning, we reached the jetty, had our breakfast before boarding the boat/ferry to our kelong whereby our fishing adventure began! The weather was great, hot and sunny with clear blue sky and beautiful white fluffy clouds, a good sun-tanning opportunity or a sun-burnt post effect (for me).

After settling down, we all swing into fishing action, catching the smaller fishes for the bait to catch bigger fishes in the night. Took a bit of luck and a little bit of skill and technique to catch the various small fishes and we were competing to see who would be the last person to catch their first small fish! It was a relaxing getaway, some of my colleagues having their maiden fishing experience, fun time before the hot sun zaps us dry and we refuel ourselves with beverages. A very tranquil and peaceful location, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, the sunset and sunrise were beautiful and it was an excellent photography opportunity.

Fishing continued after the different meals into the night before most of us resting after supper to rest, shower and sleep. This was also a good time to just relax and enjoy the tranquility of the sea. While we were able to catch small fishes, we had no luck with the bigger fishes at all and none were caught by our group. Nevertheless, we had a great catch of small fishes to bring back home! On the 2nd day, a few of us went over to Pulau Sibu and visited the island, another beautiful and tranquil location, with small resorts and would be great for a getaway too!

Been a long time since I had enjoyed a relaxing leisure holiday, even though it was a short holiday. Looking forward to more relaxing kelong fishing trips in the future, maybe to Bintan or Batam kelongs with opportunities for sunset and sunrise photography!